Sorrow and Rejoicing

The author of Ecclesiastes writes:

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven–A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance….” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

In this world we always live life in a place of tension; it seems that when we are surrounded by joy, there is grief nearby. Or in the midst of grief there are instances of joy. As much as we would want to insulate ourselves from grief, it is impossible.

How many times have you heard of the passing of a dear friend and the birth of a new baby – all in the same day? I can remember many years ago when my wife received a cancer diagnosis; yet the world around us just kept moving on – babies being born, birthdays being celebrated, special occasions being remembered.

On March 25th we received word that the 19-year-old son of a dear family (who were once guests at Sanctuary Inn) was killed in a construction accident. We didn’t know what to feel, how to react, how to respond. Our hearts were saddened and broken by this tragic news. Obviously, the family of the young man is devastated by this tragedy – his parents, siblings, grandparents, relatives, friends, co-workers – the loss of a young life seems so tragic and confusing. We are all grieved.

But we also know that in this tragedy the family has not been left alone; family and friends reaching out in consolation and comfort, churches seeking to support and bless them. Yet, in the midst of this support they each individually need to process all that has happened. And each member of the family will process their feelings of loss and grief in different ways; and it will not be a process that any time frame can be attached to.

Just a few days later, Sanctuary Inn received a generous gift that paid the balance of the mortgage on our property! Such great news and completely unexpected. So, there we were living in the joy of this exciting gift and at the same time trying to lift up this family in prayer and reach out to them.

We were living in the tension of heartache and joy – brokenness and blessing. This is where we all live in this world. Brokenness all around us and joy breaking in. There is a time for everything, a time for every event under heaven.

We are grateful for God’s daily grace as we do not know what joy or sorrow may come into our lives or the lives of our many Sanctuary Inn guests each day. Thank you for joining us in prayer as this dear family grieves and also joining us in celebrating God’s gracious gift of having our property paid off.

– Steven Price and the Sanctuary Inn Team